


Columbia

by TeapotFiction



Series: Boats Against The Current [2]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-25
Updated: 2018-01-25
Packaged: 2019-03-09 10:51:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13479969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeapotFiction/pseuds/TeapotFiction
Summary: A coda to Boats Against The Current.Betty and Jughead make their way through college.





	Columbia

They both get into Columbia. 

Jughead couldn’t believe it; this was the sort of thing that happened to other people, not him. 

In equal parts it was wonderful and terrifying. And there’s something else too. 

Jughead Jones never even thought he’d get to go to college. And now he was going to one of the country’s finest schools, with his girlfriend and he couldn’t help thinking that it was all a dream, and the rug will be ripped away from under his feet.

 

He’d applied because of Betty, of course. She’d been his cheerleader for two years and opened more doors to him than he’d ever realised were closed. So he’d started his application for Columbia thinking that even if even if it came to nothing, he’d at least have a better idea of how to help her get in. (Not that she’d have needed that, of course. Betty Cooper was an academic force to be reckoned with.) He’d felt a bit silly on the day that he’d submitted it, assuming the rejection would come quickly - that somehow the professors at Columbia would know that the Jones’ were bad news and didn’t fit into their prestigious school. 

Although they both sent off their applications together (‘For good luck, Juggie!’), response to Betty’s application came much before his. He’d never been prouder of her when she arrived at school that day, the thick letter of acceptance laying heavy in her bag. When she said that she was going to wait and see if he got in before she decided anything he kissed her on the mouth and told her not to be so stupid. She had to go - there was no question about it. She’d smiled shyly, and he’d kissed her again when she worried about what’d happen to them if they ended up in different states. 

(She didn’t know that the second he’d seen that letter, he’d downloaded and filled in application forms for every school in New York. Every single one. And if he didn’t get into those, he’d got a short list of the schools with a reasonable train journey to Columbia.) 

But in the end he needn’t have worried because two weeks later, and against all odds, he got the same letter too - with offer of a scholarship. 

No-one but Betty knew he’d cried when he read it. 

 

He approached the countdown until the end of school with mixed feelings. He knew - or at least he’d assumed - that the Millers had agreed with social services that he could live with them until he finished the year at Riverdale High so as not to risk a messed up transcript right when it really mattered. But he had no idea what happened next. His dad was likely to get out early from prison for good behaviour, but that was still at least a year away. He knew he _ could  _ move into his dad’s trailer, but the thought of leaving so many of his things completely unattended, in a less than secure trailer, while he was two states away, didn’t sound ideal. And too, he was already worrying about the cost of everything. Even with the scholarship and the financial aid packets that Betty and Julia had helped him apply for, he knew there was going to be a deficit. He’d managed to save quite a lot from working at Pop’s for the last year, but he was under no illusions of how long that would last in New York. And that was without paying the bills on the trailer back in SouthSide. 

He’d been trying not to think about it. But with only a week left at Riverdale High, he knew he had to bite the bullet and talk to the Millers. 

He tackled the subject one morning at breakfast, deciding that earlier was better. If he spent a whole day worrying about what he was going to say, he wouldn’t go through with it. Betty had told him not to worry, and that it would all be fine, but he couldn’t let himself believe that it would be. Wherever he went, he carried around the niggling feeling that disaster was just around the corner.

Julia looked sad when he brought the topic up; Jim shook his head and tried not to laugh as Jughead flustered towards some sort of point.

‘Jug - this is your home. This is your home as long as you need it to be. I thought you already knew that.’ Julia reached across the table to clasp his hands. ‘That doesn’t change until  _ you _ want it too.’

Jughead felt embarrassed for bringing it up. After two - nearly two and a half years - he does feel at home with the Millers. He’s just never wanted to outstay his welcome. He never wanted them to think he was taking advantage. He felt terrible that he’d offended Julia.

‘I can contribute.’ he offered. ‘Pop’s said I can work there during the holidays and I’ll get a job in New York too.’ 

Jim shook his head. ‘Jug, that money is yours alone, we couldn’t accept that. Actually’ Jim turned to face Julia and she smiled at him. ‘We wanted to tell you that we’ll be helping you - financially - with college. And we won’t take no for an answer. It’ll make us happy if you accept.’

‘I can’t accept. You’ve already done so much for me and this is too-’

‘Jughead. We’ve already arranged it. Now, we can’t promise it’ll cover everything, but it will take the edge off. Neither of us wants you to jeopardise your studies because you’re having to work three jobs.’

He was lost for words, so he hugged them and said thank you.

Finally, he had a family.

 

He knew Betty was anxious about leaving Riverdale. She was anxious about leaving Polly - who had been home for three months. It was her second attempt at staying out of  _ The Sanctuary. _ The first time, almost a year after she first went in, went well at first, but rapidly went downhill. 

For the first month, it seemed like everything was back to normal. Polly dutifully attended all her therapy sessions, and Alice and Hal organised for a tutor to come and catch her up on the school she had missed. They hoped she’d go to college eventually too. For a month it was perfect - they were the perfect family again, and Betty was so happy to see her sister - to have her sister back. But then, one night Polly had a blazing row with her parents and stormed out. They found her an hour or two later walking around SouthSide, already high. 

They tried to move past it, but when it happened again a week later, and for a third time the week after that, they knew they had to send her back to The Sanctuary. 

It’d nearly destroyed Betty. 

Jughead had taken to creeping into her bedroom after her parents were asleep so he could hold her while she cried into his shirt. He held her hands to stop her balling them into fists and digging her nails into her palm. But she never did that. He was blown away by how strong she was.

So he understood why Betty was so anxious about leaving Polly. She worried about what would happen without her to mediate between her sister and her parents. She worried about how easily her sister seemed to find temptation. She worried that going to school - to an Ivy league school - the future that Polly should have had, was going to be hard for her sister to watch. She worried that she’d lose her sister forever.

This time around Polly had promised her, with a vehemence that could only be attributed to the Cooper willfulness, that she was going to be fine. She promised her that she’d keep in touch, that she’d phone every week, that she’d continue therapy and that she wouldn’t make the same mistakes again. 

Jughead held Betty’s hand as she told him this, and as she told him that she believed Polly this time. He squeezed it and she wrapped herself around him, content to be in their little bubble.

 

The four of them have one final trip to Pop’s before they all go their separate ways. Veronica was going to England to study at the London College of Fashion. Archie was headed to LA. It’s the end of an era for them. They all promise that there will be many hamburgers and milkshakes to come in their future, but they all know it will never be quite the same or quite so easy. Veronica and Archie have decided to break up, knowing that the chances of surviving long distance without hating each other is remote, so the evening is twinged with a sadness and an awkwardness. They all leave quite early; Veronica and Archie want to say a proper goodbye. Betty and Jughead seize the opportunity to get some privacy (something they’re looking forward to more when they’re at college). 

Later, When they’re curled up together, naked under the duvet, Betty stifles a giggle. 

‘The next time we do this will be in  _ New York.’ _

It feels significant.

 

They drive up separately. Neither of them wants to start their careers at Columbia being known as the person that couldn’t go anywhere without their boyfriend or girlfriend. And neither of them wanted to deny their parents (or foster parents) the opportunity to take them to college. For Jughead, it was an understated affair. Julia’s eyes glistened when they said goodbye, and Jim shook his hand firmly, pride written all over his face. Alice Cooper, meanwhile, terrified Betty’s roommate (a studious looking girl) within three minutes of arriving; unpacked her clothes and reorganised the layout of the room. She made a note of Betty’s address and told her to send on her reading lists once she had them and she’d get them delivered. Hal gave her a pot plant and told her to look after herself. They stayed in a hotel that night so they could take Betty for breakfast and make sure she had one final, nutritious meal. They both cried on the way home, and later went over to the Miller’s for dinner, where they all drank too much wine and wondered what to do in their now all too empty houses.

 

Columbia was difficult; much harder than Jughead had expected it to be. No matter how hard he worked or how many hours he put in in the library, he didn’t seem to be able to crack it. At first he didn’t tell Betty. He just withdraw into himself, wondering if this was it - If this was when everything started to go wrong. He worried about losing his scholarship if his grades don’t pick up. He worried about letting everyone down.

He worried about failing, and turning into his father. 

But then Betty showed him one of her papers, with the large ‘C’ marked in red across the top and the panic started to subside. They worked together, studying as much as they could, and slowly, slowly, their grades raised from Cs, to Bs, until finally As started appearing.

 

He ended the year on the Dean’s list. Betty only just missed out, but she was genuinely happy for him. His scholarship was safe. She kissed him when he found out, and then, coyly, told him that her roommate was out for the weekend.

They don’t leave her bedroom. He got a new appreciation for dainty lace.

 

FP’s release coincided with the end of their first year. Betty grasped Jughead’s hand tightly when they went to pick him up. FP returned to the trailer, but Jughead stayed with the Millers. There was an unspoken agreement between them and Jughead checked on his father every day that he could. FP likes Betty, he likes her sugar cookies, and the way she looks at Jughead, and her kindness and intelligence. He likes that his son has found happiness. Betty understood, without Jughead having to explain, why he kept such a close eye on his father, and why he tensed up as the summer went on and men wearing serpent jackets seem to swarm closer towards their old leader.

 

Jughead had a sinking feeling on the last time that he saw his father before returning to college in the Fall, but as it turned out it, should have been Betty that worried. She got the call half way through the semester that Polly had relapsed again. This time she overdosed and her family had to rush her to the ER. She was fine - that time - but they couldn’t risk a repeat.

‘I should have been there, Juggie.  _ How  _ has this happened again?’ She cried and curled her hands up for the first time in years. He held her and told her it was going to be okay, even when he had no idea that it will be. She distracted herself with work so that Jughead barely saw her. She ended up top of all her classes, but Jughead was worried that he’d lose her. And really, nothing could be worse than losing Betty Cooper. 

Betty’s terrified she’ll lose her sister. But she couldn’t tell Jughead, because saying it out loud made it seem too real. 

 

In this period of uncertainty, of drifting, Jughead is invited for a visit by his mother. He declined her offer to stay, but instead asks if he could meet with Jellybean. It’s a long journey but they make it together, and Betty opened up to him for the first time in months. He cried when she did; a mixture of relief and sadness for the weight she’s been carrying on her shoulders. They booked into a cheap motel, not far from his mother’s house, and tried to make the pain go away.

When Jughead saw Jellybean it was awkward and somehow that hurt more than any other rejection. He asked if she’ll come and visit sometime but she shrugged noncommittally and just said ‘maybe.’ 

Betty squeezed his fingers tightly under the table. He refused to speak to his mother, and she understood why. But she hoped one day things might be different for him. 

 

Even though the trip brought Jughead further away from his family, it brought him much closer to Betty. They thought nothing of it when they signed up for a one bedroom apartment together for their third year. They went home for the summer in time to welcome Polly back, and see FP sent back to jail, for a much longer period. Jughead didn’t know if he was more disappointed, sad, or relieved about his father. FP and living by himself was never a good combination. At least in prison he wouldn’t be able to drink so much, and the serpents couldn’t get to him. He felt guilty for thinking that way.

 

At the end of the summer, the Miller’s told him that they were considering fostering again. 

‘No one will replace you, of course, Jug - and you’ll always be welcome, and you’ll always have your room here.’ Julia had been apprehensive when they broke it to him; but he’d grinned and told them he was so happy that they’d decided to help someone else. And whoever it was would be so lucky to have them. Jim smiled and said that Jughead would be expected to come back and meet them. Jughead readily agreed. 

 

Living with Betty was the most natural thing in the world. Jughead finally felt like he had a home of his own, and he didn’t have to rely on anyone. They hosted dinner parties for their friends, where Betty cooked elaborate three-course meals and Jughead laid the table elegantly. Sometimes he thought he was watching himself in a parallel universe. Veronica and Archie visit - at different times of course - Veronica told them about London and how much she loved it but catches herself when she’s reminded of all the parts of New York that she loved more. Archie told them about his music, and about the agents who are showing interest in him. Veronica asked about Archie in the same way that Archie asked about Veronica; slightly too casually and slightly too sad.

 

Betty started working part time for an online newspaper, and thrived there. They offered her full time work over the summer, so when Jughead was offered a prestigious internship at a publishing house, it was an easy decision for them to stay in their apartment instead of going back to Riverdale. The Coopers and the Millers were disappointed, but they understand. They come to visit - the Millers bring along Emily, the fourteen year old girl now in their care. Jughead got along with Emily from the moment they first met, and she looked up to him as a quasi big brother. She asked him if she could come up and stay with them by herself sometime, maybe when she’s a little older. He heartily agreed and the Millers looked delighted. 

A lump caught in his throat, and Betty shot him a look of sympathy because Emily reminded him so much of Jellybean. Except Jellybean didn’t want to know him anymore.

 

The publishing internship flew by. He rotated in three different departments and found his home in crime fiction. He put in long hours, and took pride in doing a good job. Against all (in his mind, at least) odds, they like him enough to offer him a permanent position when he graduates. He took Betty out for the most expensive meal he’d ever bought to celebrate and she was so excited for him - and for them. ‘We can definitely stay in the city now!’ she had practically squealed. Betty had come to life in New York and her biggest fear had been having to return home to Riverdale - and everything that it represents. 

One of Betty’s articles got picked up by the New York Times and they gave her the opportunity to spend a week shadowing a reporter there. She came home late every night, but a light glistened in her eyes whenever she spoke about it. The passion she’d had for journalism ran through her veins, and she made such a good impression that she was asked if she wants to come in for a two week-trial. She still had to meet her obligations from the online paper, but somehow managed to end the month with two job offers. She accepted the New York Times, but promised to stay with the online paper while she’s still at college. 

 

Their final year of college was tough. Balancing work and school papers as well as studying for finals seems at times like it was an impossible task. They survive off coffee and cans of soup. They barely see each other, and when they do, they barely have the energy to talk. They collapse on one another at bedtime, replacing conversations with quick moments of intimacy. The apartment always seemed to be messy; they stop having people round so often. It was a temporary chaos, that they hoped would pay off. 

They made frequent visits to Riverdale; the security of knowing that they wouldn’t have to go back to live there made it seem easier to go back for weekends. They always travelled by train so they could study on the way down. They visited FP, who seemed to be keeping his head down. The prison offered classes and he was trying to get some qualifications to his name. Jughead didn’t want to be disappointed again, but he thought he felt something a little like hope.

Polly was much thinner than she ever had been before, and that worried Betty. But she was still at home, and though it hadn’t always been easy, sobriety seemed to be sticking more than it had before. She talked about her hopes of studying at the community college next fall, and she worked one day a week at a local boutique. She said it gave her a sense of purpose, and Betty was glad. She wished her sister could find that happiness that she had.

 

Because despite the years of turbulence, the ups and the downs, the workloads and demands which seemed impossible to meet, they were happy.

 

Jughead stopped wearing his beanie after his last final. It wasn’t entirely deliberate, he just forgot to put it on after the celebration that the madness of the last year was finally over. After that, he realised he didn’t need it anymore. The scars in Betty’s palms had all but disappeared - the very faint white marks were enough to remind her that she had other ways to cope. They renewed their lease on their apartment for one more year; promising each other that they’ll move somewhere new once they’ve settled into their professional working lives. 

 

Veronica returned from London and headed straight to LA, and no-one was surprised when she called to tell them she was moving there to be with Archie. They come to Betty and Jughead’s apartment for the first time as a couple, and they all share burgers and milkshakes together for the first time in four years. Jughead wished he could take a snapshot of this scene for his younger self, as proof that everything was going to work out. 

 

A week before graduation, when Jughead is watching Betty practice her valedictorian speech, he decides he's going to propose. 

  
  
  



End file.
